I have been watching a few forged in fire episodes(for those of you that don't know, it's this show kind of like a masterchef for blacksmiths, where a group of blacksmiths all have to compete and make certain types of blades every episode) and there is something that I don't understand. These professional blacksmiths usually take 3 hours to work on the blade of a dagger alone, usually taking a few more hours to make a handle, and they can take days to craft a bigger sword. And even after all that crafting time, most blades bend or break after a bit of use. So my question is, how did medieval blacksmiths make enough durable and effective weapons and armor to fuel all the wars that happened in Europe at the time?

Edit, that should be 2000 years later, not 2500

Just curious about whether there is something about semitic languages that makes this a natural way to form these dynastic names or whether there is a historiographical or cultura reason for this consistency.

Thanks!

I've been reading a few of H. Rider Haggard's stories about big game hunting in Africa, and he portrays the profession as extremely dangerous, his characters frequently face danger and appear closely matched with the elephants and lions and other animals that they face. Although these are works of fiction, Allan Quartermain is based largely on a real big game hunter, Frederick Selous. Exactly how realistic are these depictions of big game hunters in this time period? What were these kinds of people actually like?

So here's the gist of the story as I've heard it from my family. It's been a while, so I don't remember a ton of the specifics. This would have happened in 1943 or 1944:

My great Grandpa was in the US Air Force in the Pacific Theater (I think Alaska) when his plane went down in Siberia. Key to this was that the Soviets weren't involved in the Pacific War. My grandpa was found, captured, and taken to a camp in Siberia where he was kept for a short while until he was put on a train to be taken to another camp. He and the other Americans on the train apparently formed a plan to escape, and ditched the train when it was stopped near the border of Iran and found their way back to the US.

The event was apparently classified until a few books were written on it (one of which had my grandpa's name in it), and in the 70s or 80s Congress passed legislation that officially recognized him and the others as Prisoners of War (I'm not sure if it was just this event or others, and him specifically or a group in general).

My question is, does anybody know more specifics on the event or similar ones? I'm looking for the legislation that enabled his POW status, the book, where these camps were and where/when this escape might have happened. Thank you so much in advance!

While most of the Caucasus and the territories south of Circassia and the territories northwest of Circassia were in Ottoman rule, they left out the Circassians. Why was that? Did they have some kind of deal or respected them so much that they left them alone? (which I hardly can imagine because even though the Circassians were fierce warriors , they couldn't have taken on Ottoman technology and manpower I would think). So what was the reason?

This is a bit of an odd request, but I'm researching Bill Barr and remember reading a newspaper clipping someone had photographed and uploaded, but I've been having trouble locating it. Obviously, a Google search of "Bill Barr" "confirmation hearing" "opinion" is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I remember it was relatively short. It was an opinion column from a former classmate of Bill Barr's and discussed his time in school. It was referencing his first confirmation hearings as Attorney General in Bush I's administration, and discussed briefly Joe Biden's role in the confirmation process.

I'd be really grateful for any American political historians' help in finding this source which I think dates to 1989.

I'm not a huge history buff, but games like Civ 5 and AOE 2 sometimes get you curious about history. Ethiopia is one that consistently gets included but probably isn't seen as a "major power" or anything when compared to most of those others.

I've also noticed that on lists of countries that were never or rarely conquered, Ethiopia ranks near the top. Only Japan seems to get credit as never being conquered, and they cheating cause they live on an island. Ethiopia, from what I could tell (again, different accounts and vague details), was occupied once in WWII, but never properly conquered or the resistance efforts fully defused/the emperor fully dethroned so much as forced into hiding. Even here, I'm unclear on if Ethiopia was conquered or not, only that Italy was mad cause Ethiopia kicked their butts ages ago. Either way, being the only African country to hold off European countries during the age of imperialism is certainly impressive and worth asking what made Ethiopia so special/how and why did they succeed.

I'd love to hear just some examples of interesting points in Ethiopian history, old or recent. Was Ethiopia properly conquered by Italy in WWII or not? What made Ethiopia a more influencial African country throughout history? Was there any particular reason they've been able to avoid being conquered whilst every other landlocked nation ever has at least been conquered once or twice?

Thanks in advance for any and all information. As I've said, I've tried finding stuff before, but I find the info rather difficult to come by if you don't even really know where to start. (or even then, WWII as an example, I've read articles claiming they were conquered and ones saying they weren't)

Specifically, a samurai of the Sengoku Jidai earning between 100 and 200 koku.

Edit: As well as in terms of enlistment, how would the process go about?

First of all, I am sorry if this is the wrong sub to ask this, please tell me if this should be the case.

I am looking for any books, podcasts, series etc. that can help me to understand more about the course of battles in World War 1. You always hear or even read about the biggest battles, mostly the Western Front, Flanders, Verdun, and many others, but I fail to get the bigger picture. It would be very interesting to understand what lead to some fronts, or what effect some offensives had.I was just hoping, that maybe someone can give me an idea or a direction where to look, and I am aware that this may be a weird question.

Thank you anyways for your time, and I am looking forward to any answer you may give!

I was reading a book to my son which said dinosaurs were discovered in the 1800s. I can't imagine none were ever found before that. I always wondered if the legend of dragons was related.

Edward V was age 12 upon the death of his father, Edward IV. He "reigned" for two and a half months before he was formally deposed (and likely murdered) by his uncle, Richard III. He was never crowned, was a minor, and controlled effectively zero territory, as his uncle Richard had taken control of the country even before Edward's deposal was confirmed by parliament. Despite this, Edward is included in historical lists of English monarchs and his regnal number is recognized by later monarchs.

Arthur, duke of Brittany and earl of Richmond, was age 12 upon the death of his uncle Richard I. Sources differ as to whether Richard preferred his nephew Arthur or brother John as his heir, and Arthur was never crowned, but Arthur had the stronger claim on the tradition of primogeniture. Arthur claimed the throne and -- unlike Edward -- controlled some territory, though not in England, but at least in the broader Angevin empire, and lived to maintain his claim far longer than Edward (around four years) before he was captured (and likely murdered) by his uncle, King John.

Empress Matilda was age 33 upon the death of her father, Henry I. She was his designated heir, had the support of much of the English nobility and, though she was never crowned, she controlled southwestern England and all of Normandy for decades.

How did Edward V come to be recognized as a monarch of England despite never being crowned while both Arthur and Matilda -- neither of whom were crowned, but both of whom controlled significant territory, made strong claims to the throne, and pressed those claims far longer and more seriously than Edward V did -- came to be regarded simply as "claimants?"

Hello everyone,

I’m writing a book that takes place around the time of the salem witch trials and was hoping for a recommendation on a book that will help give me a sense of how people lived during that time period in new england.

Looking for an enjoyable read with maybe real stories of the time and not too textbook-y. I’m trying to get a feel for what life was like back then, what their daily routines were, how many people were able to read and at what age, etc

Thanks for your help

Sources would be lovely, if possible at all. Thank you in advance, sorry for the very broad topic.